York’s unofficial Lorax speaks for a beloved tree

York Historian Launches Hunger Strike to Save Historic Honey Locust

YORK – For six days, James Kences has subsisted on little more than fruit juice and tea as he stands beneath a sprawling honey locust at the center of York Village, hoping his hunger will draw attention to a tree slated for removal next week. The 70‑year‑old hardwood, which towers over the intersection of York Street and Long Sands Road near the Soldiers’ Monument, is the focal point of a growing community clash over the town’s revitalization plan.

Kences, who also serves as York’s town historian, began his protest on a Thursday morning after telling supporters he could not remain idle while the tree faced the chainsaw. “The sort of constant discomfort of not having eaten really keeps me on edge in terms of just the anger that I need to have,” he said, his voice thin but resolute. He explained that the strike was a personal appeal to the Select Board, which must hear any petition that gathers the 100 signatures required by town ordinance before a public hearing can be held.

The tree has already become a symbol of the broader tension between preserving York’s historic character and modernizing its infrastructure. Town officials, including Engineer Dean Lessard, have described the honey locust as a visual hazard that complicates an already confusing intersection. According to the plan, removing the non‑native tree is the most efficient and affordable way to improve safety at the junction. Construction crews have already torn up the surrounding grass, laid concrete pipes, and severed the temporary lighting that had been used to highlight the tree each year.

Kences, however, argues that alternatives exist. He proposes carefully excavating the tree’s roots and relocating it, an option he says would preserve a landmark while still allowing the intersection to be reconfigured. The estimated cost of such a move is about $50,000—significant for a town that contributes only 10 percent of the overall project funding, with the remaining 90 percent coming from state and federal sources.

The revitalization project itself has a complicated history. Voters approved the overall York Village plan a decade ago after earlier attempts to revamp the area date back to the 1960s. Over the years, the project has faced funding gaps. When officials discovered a $100,000 shortfall due to inflation, they bridged the gap by reallocating money earmarked for the second phase of the work. Some residents, like Mike Lee and Susan Gillis, say the shift in funding altered what they originally agreed to, and they question whether the current scope of work matches the 2016 vote.

Kences’s petition drive has gathered momentum. On his first day, he collected just over a dozen signatures; the next day, a few dozen more; and by Thursday afternoon, he had 124 names—well above the 100‑signature threshold that triggers a public hearing. “If I didn’t do it, who would?” Kences asked, his words echoing among the passersby who stopped to read the “Vocal local” hat he wears while standing guard.

Not everyone in York is unaware of the tree’s fate. Some residents recall being informed as early as 2016 that the honey locust and the adjacent soldiers’ monument would be moved as part of the larger redesign. Others, like Lana Dufour‑Kosacz, say they never heard about it until Kences’s protest drew their attention. “I didn’t know about this,” she admitted after adding her name to the petition.

At the Monday Select Board meeting, Kences brought a copy of Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax”—a book that champions environmental advocacy—alongside the water glass he had been sipping from during his hunger strike. He handed the glass to a board member without comment, and it was passed along to the other commissioners, an unusual gesture that underscored his plea for the tree’s survival.

Town Manager Peter Joseph warned that any deviation from the approved plan could have serious financial repercussions. “Any change to that contract, is not just the town’s choice to make,” Joseph said. “There’s pretty significant consequences if we stand in the way of moving forward something that’s 90 percent funded by entities other than the town.” He explained that breaking the contract with the construction firm could expose York to litigation and push the project back 18 to 24 months, while also risking the loss of federal and state grants.

Joseph also highlighted the timing issue with Kences’s relocation idea. “The problem with that is not necessarily the dollars, although that’s a pretty significant amount of money for the town, it’s also the timing, and that takes a pretty significant amount of time,” he noted.

Select Board member Mary‑Anne Szeniawski expressed empathy for the tree’s supporters but reminded the crowd of the constraints the town faces. “We care,” she said. “Sometimes we’re in a position where, what some people might want, we can’t provide.”

The board is slated to continue its discussion on Nov. 9 and may set a date for a public hearing about the tree, pending an evaluation from the town’s attorney on the legality of the petition. However, board members noted that the tree is scheduled to be cut down on Nov. 3, potentially before any hearing can be held.

Beyond the immediate battle over the honey locust, the dispute reflects deeper concerns about development and transparency in York. Kences warned that removing the tree could clear the way for developers to build structures that would erode the village’s historic charm. “I want this tree not only to be recognized as a tree,” he said, “I want it to become symbolic of the town’s population, pushing back against unscrupulous developers who cynically and manipulatively go over town government again and again and again to get their way.”

The intersection now stands as a microcosm of a community at odds with itself—caught between the desire to modernize infrastructure and the impulse to preserve the living landmarks that give York Village its identity. As Kences continues his hunger strike and the town gears up for another board meeting, the fate of the honey locust remains uncertain, and the debate over how York should grow will likely continue well beyond the scheduled tree removal.